Many vehicles today include on-board computers that perform a variety of functions. For example, on-board computers control operation of the engine, control systems within the vehicle, provide security functions, perform diagnostic checks, provide information and entertainment services to the vehicle, perform navigation tasks, and facilitate communications with other vehicles and remote driver-assistance centers. Telematics service systems, for example, provide services including in-vehicle safety and security, hands-free calling, turn-by-turn navigation, and remote-diagnostics.
On-board computers also facilitate delivery to the driver of information and entertainment, which are sometimes referred to collectively as infotainment. Infotainment can be delivered in any of a wide variety of forms, including text, video, audio, and combinations of these.
Many consumers today regularly use portable consumer electronics devices, such as smartphones. Forgetting one's consumer electronics device can be inconvenient for a variety of reasons. For instance, when a user leaves their smartphone inside a vehicle, and departs from the vehicle, it can be very inconvenient and/or time-consuming to have travel back to the vehicle to retrieve the consumer electronics device.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide methods and systems that can alert a user when they leave their consumer electronics device inside a vehicle before they travel too far away. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.